Minnesota State University, Mankato

Cornerstone: A Collection of
Scholarly and Creative Works for
Minnesota State University,
Mankato
All Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone
Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
Projects

2012

"First Impression": Creating an Intake Procedure

that is Welcoming to Clients and Useful to
Clinicians
Brandi Embacher
Minnesota State University Mankato

Follow this and additional works at: http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds

Part of the Clinical and Medical Social Work Commons, Health and Medical Administration
Commons, and the Social Work Commons

Recommended Citation
Embacher, Brandi, ""First Impression": Creating an Intake Procedure that is Welcoming to Clients and Useful to Clinicians" (2012). All
Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects. Paper 552.

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University, Mankato.
 “First Impression”
Creating an Intake Procedure that is Welcoming to Clients and Useful to Clinicians
Brandi Embacher, LSW, MSW Student
Field Placement: Mankato Marriage and Family Therapy Center
510 Long Street, Suite 101, Mankato MN 56001  
Statement of Significance: Assessments in Intake Packet
Have you ever contacted an agency and felt doubtful about their Full Intake Questionnaire
ability to help you due to the phone interaction or written
The full intake provides an array of questions that was designed
correspondence you received? The significance of this Capstone
with consideration of the SCID-I and SCID-II. These are two of the
project is to create an intake procedure that will leave a positive first
most widely used diagnostic interviews, and reflects a “gold standard”
impression for individuals seeking services with Mankato Marriage
in formulating accurate diagnoses (Shear et al., 2000).
and Family Therapy Center (MMFTC).
PHQ-9
Goal of Intake Procedure: (Example provided)

The PHQ-9 is the nine item depression scale of the Patient

Welcoming to the Health Questionnaire. It can be a powerful tool to assist clinicians
• Client(s) get the impression that with diagnosing depression and monitoring treatment response. The
Client(s) MMFTC cares about the individual nine items of the PHQ-9 are based directly on the nine diagnostic
and their therapeutic needs criteria for major depressive disorder in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and
• Clinician(s) are able to produce a Statistical Manual Fourth Edition).
Beneficial to the
quality diagnostic assessment within
Clinician(s) a timely manner GAD-7
(Example provided)

The General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores 7 common

Brief Summary of Literature: anxiety symptoms. This can help track a patients overall anxiety
Hallowitz & Cutter (1957) discuss the telephone contact constitutes the severity as well as the specific symptoms that are improving or not
very beginning of the intake process. This is a key role in this process. with treatment.
Consideration should be given to what types of question are asked and
specifically what services are being sought out during the intake to ensure the
appropriate paperwork is provided to the client.
Content of Intake Packet CAGE
The CAGE questionnaire was developed by Dr. John Ewing,
founding director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies,
Fine & Glasser (1996) believe that a comprehensive psychological intake University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. CAGE is an
interview or assessment, in which information is collected from a broad array Letter from internationally used assessment instrument for identifying problems
of areas, is essential in determining the client’s appropriateness for counseling Therapy Full Intake
Clinical with alcohol. ‘CAGE’ is an acronym formed from the italicized letters
and planning a successful course for treatment. Due to requirements placed Agreement Questionnaire
Director in the questionnaire (cut-annoyed-guilty-eye).
on clinicians to complete a diagnostic assessment during the first visit, the ______________________________________________________
assessments provided are highly valuable and are used as an aid to gather as
much adequate and current information as possible to provide a competent
diagnostic assessment.
Implications for Social Work Practice
PHQ-9 GAD-7 CAGE Code of Ethics
The research and practice literature relevant to the intake interview
Service
suggests a strong connection between this component of psychotherapy and
the medical model. Proponents of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, De Jong
and Berg (2002) have stated that the medical model is apparent in the intake Importance
interview as evidenced by the diagnostic nature of the session, which usually Dignity and
of Human Worth
incorporates some form of assessment, mental status examination, and
Relationships
psychological or psychiatric testing (Talmon, 1990).

The underlying assumption associated with utilization of the Structured

Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I (SCID-I) and Structured Clinical
Interview for DSM-IV Axis II (SCID-II) as an intake assessment is that a Integrity Competence
thorough evaluation of the presenting problem is understood in order to
make an appropriate diagnosis in accordance with the DSM- IV (Spitzer, et ______________________________________________________
(NASW, 1996)

al., 1992).
Special thank you for the support on this project:
Presently, only a modest amount of literature exists in regard to the client’s John Rapking, MS, LMFT, Clinical Director
evaluation and perceived impact of the intake interview (Rudolph et al., Mankato Marriage and Family Therapy Center Staff
1993). Robin Wingo, MSW, LISW, Academic Advisor

References are available upon request